Book Review: The Moon Coin by Richard Due and Carolyn Arcabascio

The Moon Coin, written by Richard Due and illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio, is the first book in The Moon Realm Series. It is a children's fantasy novel appropriate for ages nine and older. Lily and Jasper are smart and talented children, and their Uncle Ebb is counting on it. He spends his visits giving them gifts and telling them tales about the Moon Realm, a wonderful world full of magic and amazing creatures. the pair fully believe Uncle Ebb's tales and his tinkering, creating wonderful things, are all just part of his eccentricity and fun nature. That is until Ebb disappears, and Lily discovers the secret beyond the tales, that they might hold some truth. Lily is on a wonderful, and terrifying, journey looking to find Uncle Ebb and discover the truth behind the terrible things happening in the Moon Realm.

The Moon Coin started off quickly, laying the groundwork for the relationship between Lily, Jasper, and their Uncle Ebb.I hope to see much more of Ebb in the future volumes, because the mysteries surrounding him grabbed me just as much as the problems in the Moon Realm. The character development and descriptions are extremely well done, and are just as interesting as the moments of high action, of which there are plenty. Then there are the beautiful illustrations by Carolyn Arcabascio, which are worth looking at the book for on their worth alone. I do not want to say too much about the story, or is that a tale, because I think everyone that enjoys fantasy on any level will enjoy this.

Can you tell I liked The Moon Coin? When the author approached me to read and review the book, my first thought was my already growing backlog. Then I read the description, and it sounded right up my alley. Gladly my second thought was the one I followed. The Moon Realm series is now on my must follow list, I cannot wait to see what happens next.I highly recommend it to readers in grade school, middle school, and on up through adults. Fans of anything fantasy; think authors like Tamara Pierce, Lemony Snicket, C.S. Lewis, and Kathryn Lasky, will find themselves as captured by this series as myself.